Lubricating device.



J. B. KIRBY.

LUBRICATING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 8. I913.

1, 182,092. Patentd May 9, 1916.

MIA/4766275! Jinan/701a.

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W WWW /MM FlQQ JAMES B. KIRBY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

LUBRICATING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9,1916.

Application filed September 8, 1913. Serial No. 788,555.

as are employed for the purpose of applying lubricant gradually andeconomically to the bearings of shafts.

Yi hile certain features of the devices are of more general application,the device in its details was designed with particular reference to usein connection with the shafts of high speed motors such as, are employedelectricaliy operated vacuum cleaning machines, although capable of usein any location whatever.

It is the general object of the invention to provide a lubricatingdevice which is particularly convenient of application to and of removalfrom the associated parts which are to he lubricated; which not onlywill reriain in place when inserted but will als: assist in re l ing itscooperating n uber in which is economical of production as welleconomical in operation and which is extremely efiicient in operation,requiring infrequent renewal of any of the parts thereof andparticularly of the absorbent washer or pad by which the lubricant isdistributed to the bearings; which shall exert a minimum of frictionupon the shaft to which it is applied; which shall contain a largeamount of lubricant at one time, and in which the danger of dripping 0rspilling oil shall be a minimum.

With the foregoing general objects in view the invention may be definedfurther as consisting of the combinations of elements embodied in theclaims annexed hereto and illustrated in the drawings forming parthereof, wherein Figure 1 represents a longitudinal sectional viewthrough a motor and its casing having my lubricating device appliedthereto; Fig. 2 is a sectional detail, showing the lubricating cup inplan, the cooperating parts of the shaft and bushing being shown incross section; Fig, 3 is a perspective view of -the cup and the bushingto which it is applied, the absorbent pad or washer being removed; andFig. 4 is a perspective view of the pad or washer.

Describing by reference characters the V21 rious parts illustratedherein, 1 and 2 denote the sections of a motor casing. The section 1 ofthe casing here shown has a rounded or spherical end, the wall thereofbeing thickened. as shown at 3, and faced off on the inside around theshaft-bearing aperture to form a seat. as shown at l. The other section2 is recessed about the shaft as shown at 5, the bottom 5 of the recessforming a seat; the central portion 'of the recess is provided with ashaft bearing aperture in alinement with the aperture in the othersection.

The apertures in the casing sections 1 and 2 are threaded for thereception of the bushings 6 and through these bushings the motor shaft 7extends. Each of these bushings is provided with a slot 6, the partsbeing so proportioned that, when the bushings are in place, the outerend of a bushing in the casing section 1 will project a short distancebeyond the outer surface of said section (as shown at 6 and the slot ofsaid bushing will be within the casing, while the slot in the otherbushing will be outside of the casing section 2.

Reference has been made to-the fact that the motor may be the motor of avacuumclcaning machine. and such a motor and its casing are shown hereinthe motor being in the inclined position, which it generally assumeswhen operating on such a machine. The upper section 1 is provided withan oil channel 8 extending downwardly from the bushing and communicatingwith the oil hole 9, through which the. oil may be supplied from time totime to the interior of the cup. Each cup has a bottom 10, which isprovided with an internally threaded aperture whereby it may be threadedupon and carry a bushing 6, and with a flange or wall 11 projecting atright angles therefrom and constituting the side of the cup. Thewall ofeach cup engages the corresponding casing section at a distance from thebushing and holding it in line, while the fact that the cup is threadedto the bushing causes it to act as a lock nut and thus prevent anyloosening or shifting of the bushing. When in place, the upper edge ofthe wall'll engages, in one case, the seat 4 in the casing section 1and, in the. other case, the bottom well 5 of the recess 5 inthe casingsection 2. These cups are preferably of spring metal, whereby, whentheir upper edges or rims are brought into close or biting engagementwith the seats 4 and 5 they are placed under tension and operate as locknuts to retain themselves as well as their respective bushings in place.

\Vithin each of the lubricating cups there is placed a body or pad 12 ofabsorbentmaterial, said pad having a crescent-shaped slot 13 in thecentral portion thereof which is adapted to receive therewithin abushing 6 and shaft 7. with the tongue or projection 14: extending intothe slot 6 and bearing againstthe shaft. as will clearly appear fromFigs. 1 and Oil may be supplied to these pads from time to time. throughthe opening 9 in the upper casing section and through the channel 15 inthe lower section.

It will be noted that the absorbent pads are of smaller diameter thanthe internal diameter of their respective cups whereby any adjustment ofa cup on its bushing will not move the tongue or projection l t out ofthe bushing slot through frictional gagement between the cup wall 11 andthe peripheral portion of the pad. Also the engagement of the oppositeside of the bushing. with the opposite side of the pad-aperture willhold the tongue securely within its slot.

In operation, oil will. flow by capillary action between each bushing 6and the shaft. will overflow the projecting end of the bushing, and willflow around such end into the channel 8 and thence through the oil hole9 back into the cup. thus avoiding dripping and-saving oil.

Among the advantages of my construction are its cheapness; the operationof the cup as a lock nut, the cup being of spring metal and being placedunder tension by threading it tightly against its appropriate casingseat; its economy in oil consumption; and the practicalindestructibility of the pad. which is subjected only to the friction ofthe shaft as it turns against the projection or tongue 14. Also, if thecups be made of steel and the casing members of aluminum it will befound that the ordinary tightening up of the cups will cause them toindent the softer metal sufliciently to ob viate any possible leakage.

It is an important feature of my lubricating devices from amanufacturing standpoint that all of the parts are concentric, thusrendering them more easy to make.

I have shown the pad inclosed devices formed chiefly of separate memberscalled cups, but itwill be obvious that these re ceptacles could be madein other ways as by recessing the casing members themselves andemploying the added member mer lv as a cover. Likewise. many otherdetails of construction and arrangement could be modified withoutdeparture from my inventive idea. as will be apparent to those skilledin the art. I

Having thus described my invention. what I claim is 1. In a device ofthe character described. the combination of a hollow cylindrical bushinghaving an aperture in one of its walls. a cup surrounding said bushing.and an annular pad of absorbent material in said cup and having a tongueprojecting through said aperture. the normal internal diameter of saidpad being not larger than the diameter of said bushing.

'2. In a device of the character described. the combination of a bushinghaving an aperture in its wall and an annular absorbent body surroundingsaid bushing. said body having at one side an internal tongue projectinginto said aperture and snugly en gaging said bu..hing at a pointopposite said tongue. i

3. In a device of the character described. the combination of a bushinghaving an aperture in the wall thereof. a cup on said lmshing. and anannular pad of absorbent material within the cup and surnmnding thebushing and having an internal tongue projecting into said aperture. theaperture in said pad being not larger than the external diameter of saidbushing. and the e.\

ternal diameter of said pad being less than that of the cup.

4. In a device of the -haracter described. the combination of aone-piece bushing liaring an aperture in the wall thereof. a receptaclesurrounding said bushing and substantially concentric therewith. saidaperture communicating with the interior of said receptacle. and anannular pad of ab sorbent material within said receptacle andsurrounding said bushing and having a portion projecting into saidaperture. the diameter of the opening through the pad being such thatsaid portion is drawn positively into said aperture.

5. In a device of the character described. the comlnnation of a bushingprovided with an aperture at one place in its wall. a cup on saidbushing. and an absorbent pad in said cup having an opening throughwhich the bushing extends and provided with atongue or projectionextending into the aperture in the wall of said bushing. the

'pad being of less diameter than the internal diameter of said cup.

6 In a device of the character described, the combination of a bushinghaving an eX- ternal thread and provided with an aperture in the wallthereof, a cup threaded on said bushing. and an absorbent pad in saidcup and having an opening through which he bushing extends and providedwith a tongue or projection extending into the aperture of said bushing.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination, with asupporting body having an aperture therein and a seat surrounding saidaperture. of an externally threaded bushing in said aperture, and a cupthreaded on said bushing and adapted to engage said seat with its rim.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination, with asupporting body having a threaded aperture, and a recess surroundingsaid aperture. of an externally threaded bushing in said aperture, and acover member threaded on said bushing and engaging said casing at adistance from said aperture, and a body of absorbent materialsurrounding the bushing beneath said cover, said bushing beingperforated to perinit said body to touch the shaft therein.

"9. The combination, with a supporting body having an internallythreaded aperture, of a bushing threaded into said aperture andextending through said body. a cup on said bushing and having a rimadapted to engage said body at a point removed from a said bushing, andan air sorbent pad in said cup and arranged to supply lubricant to theinterior of the bushing.

10. The combination, with a supporting body having an aperture and arecess surrounding said aperture, of a bushing secured in said apertureand projecting through said recess and having a perforation in its wall,a cover member secured to said bushing and engaging the casing at adistance therefrom, the body having an oil hole communicating with saidrecess, an oil channel extending from the bushing to said oil hole, andan absorbent pad beneath said cover member and having a projectionadapted to extend into the bushing perforation.

11. The combination, with a supporting body having an aperture and aseat surrounding said aperture, of a bushing threaded into said apertureand having an aperture in its wall, a cup adjustably connected to saidbushing and adapted to engage the seat with its rim, the body having anoil hole extending to the interior of the cup and an oil channelextending from the bushing to said oil hole, and an absorbent pad withinthe cup adapted to suppl v oil to the bushing aperture.

12. The combination, with a supporting body having an aperture whoseaxis is generally upright. of a bushing in said aperture and projectingfrom the lower face of the body, the portion of the bushing below saidbody being provided with an aperture, a cup on said bushing below thebody, an absorbent pad in said cup having a projection extending intothe bushing aperture. the upper face of the body being provided with anoil hole extending therethrough and communicating with the interior ofthe cup, said body also having a channel extending fromthe upper end ofthe bushing to said oil hole.

13. In a device of the character described, a shaft supporting memberhaving a threaded aperture, and a seat at a distance from said apertureand in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the aperture, an externallythreaded bushing secured in said aperture. and an elastic disk screwedon said bushing and having a peripheral portion engaging said seat. saiddisk being screwed onto said bushing sufficiently to distort its centercompared to its margin.

ll. In a device of the character described, a bearing support having athreaded aperture and a flat circular seat formed as a surface ofrevolution concentric with said aperture. an externally threaded bushingadapted to be screwed into said aperture, and an elastic disk adapted tobe screwed upon said bushing and having a rim adapted to engage saidseat.

1?. In a device of the character described, a bearing support having athreaded aperture and a circular seat formed as a surface of revolutionconcentric with said aperture. an externally threaded. bushing adaptedto be screwed loosely into said ap-- erture. and a securing disk adaptedto be screwed loosely upon said bushing and having a rim adapted toengage said seat.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

JAII 15 I3. KIRBY.

Witnesses:

HxnoLn E. SMITH,

STUI-ILMAX.

